Spruced-up Guacamole

Since I've got a few recipes back-logged at this point in time, I thought I'd parse some out as time and interest allowed. This first taste isn't a meal, but it is one of my favorite shortcut snacks/sides: Spruced-up Guacamole.

Ingredients:
Store-bought guacamole
Onion
Tomato
Bell Pepper
Jalapeno Pepper
1/2 of a Lime
Salt

Steps/Analysis:
I prefer organic guacamole out of a tub rather than a tube. That may be an aesthetic choice, though. Something about squeezing creamy, green goo out a small opening rubs me the wrong way and conjurs up all kinds of unappetizing imagery.

Dump the guac into a bowl and break out your cutting board. At this point, I encourage you to experiment with your own methods; see what appeals to your tastes. I don't think I've ever made this the same way twice, but here are the general ratios that seem to work best for me.

Onion is your work horse here. It's going to provide a lot of good, contrasting texture. I recommend up to half of a medium-sized onion, depending on how much guacamole you have. In any case, you should add about twice as much onion as any other ingredient. Chop and toss in equal amounts tomato and bell pepper and one small jalapeno.

A couple important notes about the jalapeno. First, scrape out all the seeds. You want the flavor, but a minimal amount of heat; that's not what guac is about. Second, wear gloves of some kind. I cannot stress that enough. Wash all you want, the raw jalapeno will stay on your hands and under your nails for days and you will pay the price. If you use canned or otherwise already processed jalapenos (which is certainly an option) this isn't as much of a concern.

Squeeze half of a lime over the mixture, no more. There's a lot of moisture in the tomatoes you added and you don't want soupy dip. The acid will keep your guac green by preventing oxidation and that nasty brown color. Stir everything up and salt to taste.

That's it! Serve and enjoy. 15 minutes of effort and the fresh ingredients will liven up any store-bought guacamole to the point where people will swear you made it from scratch. You can decide whether or not to tell them the truth. That's none of my concern.

Storage Tip:
If possible, put the guacamole back into the original tub. Get some plastic wrap and press it down right on top of the dip. You want to make as much contact as possible, removing all of the air that you can. Your guac will stay green for at least another day or two.